Chapter 364

Unlike the frenzied atmosphere of the Life Science Academy, the mood at the Yanhuang Industry and Technology Research Institute felt somewhat solemn.

This is the industrial heart of the Yanhuang Civilization, and also the core department in the "Great Silence" plan responsible for multiplying industrial output by ten thousand.

The person in charge is Academician Qian Bowen.

At this moment, he stands inside a massive ring-shaped structure.

This structure is less a building and more an artificial miniature star system.

Because its diameter exceeds three thousand kilometers.

At the center of the structure hovers a black, constantly twisting "point".

That point is darker than any known substance,

it emits no light, reflects no light, and even space itself undergoes visible distortion around it.

It is a black hole.

A black hole artificially forced into confinement by a stable force field.

Encircling this black hole are rings upon rings of immensely complex metal that make the scalp tingle.

On the metal rings are etched countless lines through which energy flows, emitting a faint blue glow.

This is the test site for the prototype of the newest black hole engine.

Upgrading the black hole engine was decided by Qin Hao before his departure, and it is one of the top priorities for the Yanhuang Civilization's technological advancement over the next five hundred years.

Once successful, it will completely overhaul the existing energy system.

A warship equipped with the new black hole engine will have an energy output ten thousand times that of a conventional black hole engine.

It will have near‑unlimited endurance, can support even more terrifying dimensional weapons, and is even capable of short‑range "Starless Gate" spatial jumps.

However, this project has encountered unprecedented difficulties from the very start.

"Director, the thirty‑seventh energy injection test has failed."

A project team leader, face ashen, reported to Qian Bowen.

"The constraining force field showed irregular fluctuations when the energy injection reached 73%; we only avoided a black‑hole runaway by cutting the power source in an emergency."

Qian Bowen's brows knotted tightly into a shape resembling the Chinese character for river.

He stared at the incessantly twisting black dot at the center, his expression exceedingly grave.

"Again 73%?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes."

The project team leader nodded with difficulty, "Just like the previous several attempts, every time the problem occurs at the 73% mark."

"Our force‑field model has been revised tens of millions of times, employing all force‑field technologies from the Star Language Civilization and the two great empires, yet we still cannot break through this bottleneck."

"It's as if… an invisible wall stands before us."

Qian Bowen fell silent.

What the project team leader said is correct.

Creating a black hole is no longer difficult for the present Yanhuang Civilization.

The difficulty lies in how to extract energy from that black hole stably, efficiently, and safely.

The gravity of a black hole is the most domineering force in the universe.

Any matter or energy, once it nears the event horizon, will be mercilessly swallowed.

Their current extraction scheme is far too inefficient to meet the demands of the next‑generation engine.

Moreover, in the Star Language Civilization's simulation database, more radical energy‑extraction schemes impose almost harsh demands on the stability of the constraining force field.

They must create a stable energy‑exchange conduit within the black hole's energy levels.

This is like performing a precise micro‑carving surgery inside a powder keg about to explode.

The difficulty can be imagined.

"Have all the data models been simulated?"

Qian Bowen asked.

"They have all been simulated, Director."

The project team leader replied bitterly, "Our 'Tianhe' super optical brain has run continuously for three months, simulating more than ten to the twentieth power possibilities."

"But none of the schemes can keep the constraining force field stable when the energy injection exceeds 73%."

"According to the optical brain's final calculation, with our present materials science and force‑field technology, the theoretical success rate is… zero."

Zero.

That number, like a great mountain, weighs on the hearts of all researchers.

Qian Bowen's fist slowly clenched.

Industrial output multiplied ten thousand times, a fleet of a hundred billion God‑Warrior class ships…

These crazy goals all share a common prerequisite—energy.

Without sufficient powerful energy, everything is mere talk.

The next‑generation black hole engine is the key to solving all problems.

If this key cannot be forged, the "Great Silence" plan is a joke from the outset.

"Show me all the raw data and the Tianhe simulation process again."

He refuses to believe that an insurmountable wall truly exists.

There must be some place, some detail, that they have overlooked.

"Yes, Director."

Soon, massive amounts of data like a waterfall appeared on the holographic screen in front of Qian Bowen.

Qian Bowen stood in this ocean of data, eyes like torches,

Start from the most basic, fundamental formulas, reviewing them line by line.

Time passed, minute by minute.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Qian Wenbo went without sleep or rest, his whole person immersed in the world of data.

His brain was operating at a speed beyond limits.

However, the results were still disappointing.

All the calculations, all the deductions, had no problems.

Theory, is just theory.

The "Heavenly River" calculation result was correct.

With current technology, this path won't work.

In Qian Wenbo's eyes, a hint of confusion and fatigue appeared for the first time.

Could it really be that we are going to fail?

Could it be that the goal set by Qin Hao is truly just an unattainable fantasy?

At the moment his mind wavered, his personal communicator suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, slightly startled.

It was his granddaughter, Qian Yin.

He hesitated a moment, then answered the call.

"Grandpa, are you still in the lab?" Qian Yin's clear voice came through, her tone obviously concerned.

"Mm."

Qian Wenbo rubbed his throbbing temples, "The project is a bit troublesome."

"Is it the project for the next-generation black hole engine?" Qian Yin seemed to have guessed.

"Looks like nothing can be hidden from you." Qian Wenbo smiled slightly, not surprised.

"Now the whole academy has heard about it, I definitely know!"

Qian Yin paused, then said, "I just finished upgrading and optimizing the Dimensional Shockwave Torpedo; Luo Lao asked me to come over to see if there's anything I can help with."

Qian Wenbo heard that and shook his head.

"Your coming won't help; this is the field of field theory and high-energy physics, not your forte."

"Moreover, even Heavenly River can't figure it out, we..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Qian Yin interrupted him.

"Grandpa, give me a copy of the data model and the deduction process."

Qian Yin's voice was calm, yet it carried a sense of confidence.

"Perhaps your thinking has been wrong from the very start."